There's something about Kyoto Tower and Japanese culture of Kindness

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Konnichiwa from Kyoto! This was what I felt when we arrived at Kyoto via JR train. Upon exiting from the central gate, we were greeted with what else but the towering beauty of Kyoto Tower. 

Our hostel was a 7 minute-walk from the station and it became our home for 4 nights. Now we are moving out of Kyoto and I felt some kind of sadness waving goodbye to the tower which became our landmark when we went down prematurely from a bus. Haha! 

The kindness of the Japanese is not a myth, in fact, it is legendary. Kyoto is a marriage of modernity with its building and all, and the heritage, the temples and gionshijo district and more. Despite our short stay in Kyoto, I can already say that the common folks are helpful and kind. They may not smile at you along the way or they may be engrossed with their phones but when you ask for help, they willingly do so. All you have to do is ask, and be not intimidated with their serious look.

To give you one instance among many of my experience, when we arrived at the Kyoto station the first time, we were exhausted from our airport travel and no sleep, and we can't think straight and read maps already. Haha. 
I approached an elderly thinking that he must be a local and it turned out that he was, and can't understand English and can't see the map clearly telling me by gesturing with his eyes.  He waved at me and walked his way and I was left thinking who to approach next, a yuppy perhaps. 


Lo and behold, the old man went back to me and led me to another old man who was holding a megaphone for the bus commuters. There, he taught us our way. Got a lot of these experience from a yuppie when we rode a wrong train going to Himeji castle, from a lady named Sakura in Kobe who showed us the way to the station from the Herb Garden, from the food attendant whom we thought did not understand us but when we went out of the resto, he rushed to catch us up as he pointed the way to the Glico Man in Osaka.

I love the kindness, the Japanese way! And language is no barrier definitely.







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